Knife Sharpener Buying Guide

Which sharpener should I buy?

Works Sharp offers several knife sharpening solutions. This page is to help you figure out which powered sharpener is best for you, based on the knives you want to sharpen and how much sharpeneing you intend to do.

Original Knife & Tool Sharpener (WSKTS)

The Original Knife & Tool Sharpener is ideal for folks with standard knives, such as hunting, fishing, kitchen, survival/outdoor and pocket knives. This sharpener will also sharpen scissors, serrated blades and gut hooks, as well as camp and field tools – everything from machetes to shovels to lawn mower blades.

The sharpener comes with 2 angle guides. One guide is set at 40° (20° per side) for kitchen knives, filet knives and other thinner or smaller blades. The second guide is set at 50° (25°per side) for thicker, heavier blades such as hunting, outdoor and survival knives – and also has guides for scissors and serrated blades. The Original Knife & Tool Sharpener comes with 6 abrasives belts - 2 coarse, 2 medium and 2 fine.

For most folks looking to keep their knives sharp as new, the Original Knife & Tool Sharpener will meet your needs – and most likely exceed your expectations. The sharpener comes with an instructional DVD to get you started and shows you how to turn dull and damaged knives into razor-sharp cutting tools quickly and easily. We always recommend practicing with inexpensive or “junk” knives to get used to the machine before using it on expensive knives. However, after putting a razor-sharp edge on the practice knives, you’ll find them as useful as any other knife you own!

br>

Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener (WSKTS-KO)

The Ken Onion Edition Knife & Tool Sharpener is a step up from the Original Knife & Tool Sharpener. We recommend the Ken Onion Edition for knife enthusiasts and collectors, folks that use specialized cutlery in the kitchen (such as Asian or European knives), people that have a lot of knives to sharpen or wish to put custom bevels on their blades – and anyone that enjoys having the best of the best.

The Ken Onion Edition uses a heavy duty motor for high-volume sharpening, with a variable speed trigger to control belt speed for high-speed grinding/low-speed honing. A single, adjustable angle guide adjusts from 15° to 30° in 1° increments to accommodate a wider range of blade types, and can sharpen scissors and tools just like the Original Knife & Tool Sharpener. The Ken Onion uses wider abrasive belts for better stability and longer life-cycle (50% more surface area). Optional attachments are available to expand the versatility of the Ken Onion Edition sharpener - the Tool Grinding Attachment and the Blade Grinding Attachment.

Who is Ken Onion?Ken Onion is a renowned knife maker and designer. In 1996, he invented the Speed Safe™ assisted opening mechanism for folding knives, revolutionizing the knife industry. Ken Onion holds numerous patents on various items including knives and other mechanisms. He was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame in 2008 for his accomplishments and contributions to the cutlery industry.

br>

Guided Sharpening System (WSGSS)

The Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System (WSGSS) was created with both novice and master sharpeners in mind and sharpens every knife you own. It features the innovative Pivot-Response System which allows the abrasive to follow the curve of the knife while sharpening — making manual sharpening faster, easier and more precise than ever before. Quick change Diamond Plates and precision Angle Guides eliminate the set-up time and complexity associated with many other sharpeners.

The WSGSS puts an incredibly sharp and consistent edge on your pocket, hunting and kitchen knives, serrations, fish hooks, and many common edge tools. It helps teach novices to develop and master manual sharpening skills; while experienced sharpeners will appreciate the thought-out features that make this such a versatile and complete knife sharpening system.

If you are new to sharpening or haven’t had success with sharpening stones, engaging the Pivot-Response will do the work for you. It puts the skill in the tool rather than the user.

Work Sharp is part of Darex, a 4th-generation family owned company in Ashland, Oregon. For over 40 years we have been creating industry-leading sharpening tools here in the USA. We are over 100 co-workers strong, dedicated to producing high-quality tools and providing exceptional customer service.
Read more...